Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA<b>)</b>, service dogs are permitted in public places, including restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, hospitals and shopping centers — even those with no-pet policies. These animals are trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities, such as guiding the blind, alerting to medical emergencies or assisting with mobility. Photo by Andy Luo via Unsplash.
Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service dogs are permitted in public places, including restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, hospitals and shopping centers — even those with no-pet policies. These animals are trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities, such as guiding the blind, alerting to medical emergencies or assisting with mobility. Photo by Andy Luo via Unsplash.

Service animals help people with disabilities, but unclear rules and pet owners who stretch them are creating tension for stores, restaurants and fellow customers.

Service or support? Confusion over dogs in public spaces
19 Nov 2025 | 11:33
Evergreen

When Kathy Gerhold shops at her local ShopRite in Sussex County, N.J., she sometimes finds the aisles more crowded than she’d like.

She understands why people rely on service dogs, she said, but “for the amount of people that shop, it seems too congested to have animals in the supermarket.”

Her comment...